BN, bruised by a series of losses at the ballot box, faces a critical test in a by-election next weekend seen as a referendum on its reform plans.

NONE A win for BN would be seen as an indication that Prime Minister Premier Najib Razak's ( left ) reforms, including plans to dismantle race-based policies for Muslim Malays, have resonated with the public.

The opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance, led by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, who is on trial for sodomy, is also keen to show that a bout of political infighting and defections have not damaged its credibility.

The opposition has won seven out of nine by-elections since 2008 elections that humbled the long-serving coalition, which lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority in its worst results in half a century.

The semi-rural constituency of Hulu Selangor in central Selangor state is the latest battlefield for the two sides competing for the support of voters including civil servants, rubber farmers and traders.

Barisan Nasional candidate P Kamalanathan will take on former cabinet minister Zaid Ibrahim who is standing for the opposition in the hotly contested April 25 ballot.

The vote, triggered by the death of the opposition incumbent who won it narrowly in 2008, comes amid talk that the next national polls could be held much earlier than the deadline of 2013.

NONE "Although Pakatan won this seat in 2008, this is a BN stronghold and given the huge amount of money and election machinery the government has brought to bear, the opposition are the underdogs," said Tian Chua, election strategist for Anwar's ( right ) PKR.

"If the government fails to win this seat after throwing in even the kitchen sink, I don't know how Najib can hope to win the next general elections," he told AFP .

Najib, who came to power a year ago, last month unveiled plans for economic reforms including a review of an affirmative action policy for Muslim Malays who are the majority in the multicultural nation.

Political observers have said that Najib is facing opposition from within his own party over the proposals, which threaten to further erode waning Malay support for the coalition.

NONE The opposition meanwhile is pinning its hopes on 59-year-old Zaid ( left ), who was a maverick figure within the government when he was tasked with cleaning up the judiciary and police force following the 2008 elections.

Zaid, who founded the nation's biggest law firm before going into politics, quit the cabinet months later after complaining he was blocked from taking action. He joined Anwar's Keadilan party in June last year.

Political lightweight

Kamalanathan, from MIC, a coalition member which was virtually wiped out in the general elections, is seen as a lightweight who lacks Zaid's high profile.

NONE "He is a compromise candidate for the post as the initial candidate was opposed by the coalition so Kamalanathan is by no means a shoe-in," political analyst James Chin told AFP .

Some voters in Hulu Selangor said their vote would be dictated by national issues including high crime rates and rising racial tensions between Malays and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians.

But many others in the relatively poor electorate, which has a large ethnic Indian community, said they were more interested in the benefits that the community could expect amid the political tussle.

"We are hoping for some financial assistance... We work in a palm oil estate. Our joint income is a mere RM600 a month," said T Devi, 38, as she sat at a bus stop with her young daughter.

"I am not sure who I will vote for. I will vote for who ever gives me financial support."

- AFP